Microsoft to rake in royalties from Samsung's Android devices

Microsoft and Samsung have reached a cross-licensing agreement, a deal that means the company will receive royalties on every Android smartphone and tablet sold by Samsung going forward and potentially in retrospect.

Microsoft and Samsung have reached a cross-licensing agreement, a deal that means the company will receive royalties on every Android smartphone and tablet sold by Samsung going forward and potentially in retrospect.

Microsoft already has a licensing deal with HTC, which sells both Android and Windows Phone devices.

“Together with the license agreement signed last year with HTC,
today’s agreement with Samsung means that the top two Android handset
manufacturers in the United States have now acquired licenses to
Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith and IP lawyer Horacio Gutierrez said.

“These two
companies together accounted for more than half of all Android phones
sold in the US over the past year.”

The companies also agreed to cooperate on the development and marketing of Windows Phone.

“Microsoft and Samsung see the opportunity for
dramatic growth in Windows Phone and we’re investing to make that a
reality,” said Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone division.

The settlement is the latest development in a series of patent suits relating to the Android platform.

Idealog has been covering the most interesting people, businesses and issues from the fields of innovation, design, technology and urban development for over 12 years. And we're asking for your support so we can keep telling those stories, inspire more entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and keep pushing New Zealand forward. Give over $5 a month and you will not only be supporting New Zealand innovation, but you’ll also receive a print subscription and a copy of the new book by David Downs and Dr. Michelle Dickinson, No. 8 Recharged (while stocks last).